A report from Enroll America shows that more than 8,000 York County residents signed up for health care coverage earlier this year, but there could be as many as 34,000 still without insurance here.

That number has local organizations preparing for the next open enrollment period, set to begin Nov. 15, in hopes that people who didn't sign up previously might get the coverage they need.

Julia Cusick, communications leader with Enroll America's Pennsylvania chapter, said the Department of Health and Human Services enrollment figures during the first open enrollment period that ended in March showed enrollment in York County totaled 8,225, one of the highest figures in the state.

"Probably the biggest challenge we face is the lack of information about how easy and affordable it can be to enroll," Cusick said. "A lot of people don't realize that there are many opportunities to get free, in-person assistance in choosing a plan."

Those who enroll also are eligible for financial aid, Cusick added. In Pennsylvania, 81 percent of enrollees received financial aid last year and 68 percent paid less than $100 a month, she said.

While the high enrollment number is encouraging, there are still many in need of insurance, said Jenny Englerth, CEO of Family First Health in York.

Pennsylvania Healthy Access Network released U.S. Census Data earlier this year that showed 42,317 York County residents were uninsured, and that 8 out of 10 families had a full-time worker in the home.

Antoinette Kraus, spokeswoman with Pennsylvania Healthy Access Network, said new data has not been gathered since the end of the first enrollment period. Subtracting about 8,000 from the roughly 42,000 uninsured would only be an estimate of the need in York County, she said.

Regardless of the number, Englerth is confident Family First Health and other local organizations can tackle a large part of the uninsured population. Many people who signed up early on were eager to get insurance, Englerth said.

"Now we have this group that's harder to reach and more willing to accept the penalty," she said, noting the 1 percent yearly household income fee or $95 per person for the year. "It's also important that those who did enroll see the benefits of having insurance."

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Health-care signup starting soon; in York County, could be close to 34,000 still without insurance